Plight of Mahrashtra farmers ignored in Budget 2013

28 February, 2013

The budget announced today has ignored the plight of drought-ridden, suicide-prone, distressed and debt-trapped farmers even after CAG has exposed the truth that earlier mega loan of 2008 has not reached the farmers, a farmers' advocacy group Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) said.

“It was expected that the last budget before general elections will address the issue. Now five million farmers are too much disappointed and want special bailout package to save dying farming community who are innocent victim of wrong technology and climate change,” Kishor Tiwari of VJAS said.

Vidarbha is a classic example of government’s wrong policies in the name of second green revolution where every farmer commits suicide every eight hours since June 2005 even after relief packages amounting Rs.10,000 crore and farm loan waiver amounting more than Rs.12,000 crore were announced, Tiwari claimed.

The issue of agrarian crisis has not been addressed as all relief packages were targeted at agriculture in the name infrastructure or technology but sustainable holistic solution to hardships of distressed dying cotton were not even given any consideration in Indian budgets since 2006.

“Hence, we have requested Indian finance minister to re-look and review prevailing agriculture policies which are forcing farmers to commit suicide even after the country is claiming record agriculture production,” Tiwari added.

The existing agriculture crop pattern and practices in the crisis-hit dry land region of India where farmer suicides are being reported, according to Tiwari are the product of policies of UPA government, allowing wrong technology and toxic chemical methods of cultivation that has created very complex problem of social, economic, environmental nature.

“Hence, sustainable eco-friendly agrarian practices are the only solution which is being demanded as policy change is the budget, but all were not even discussed,” Tiwari said.